Two entrepreneurs are working to breathe new life into the former Stagecoach Stop USA property.

Ron Noel and partner Jessica Poore bought the property in November and have been cleaning it up.

Stagecoach Stop, at 7203 U.S. 12, opened in 1965 and closed in Sep­tem­ber 2007 after a steady decline in visitors over the previous several years. In December 2009, former owner Fred Bahlau announced he would have the buildings taken down to help reduce his property taxes on the parcel. That did not take place as Bahlau planned, though, and eventually the property went on the real estate market.

Poore, a 1999 Clinton High School graduate, said she remembers visiting Stagecoach Stop as a child, and though she acknowledges the resort will not likely be again what it was in its heyday, the pair are looking forward to improving the property. Long-range plans include a western-themed water park, though making that project a reality “is a long ways off,” Poore said.

Noel and Poore are working on sprucing up the grounds, cutting down trees and brush, and bringing the buildings facing the highway up to code.

Overall, she said, the buildings are in “decent shape,” but all could benefit from attention.

“Right now, we’re giving (the resort) some curb appeal,” Poore said. “We’re taking everything day by day, one project at a time.”

The Cowboy Creek Lodge is the only part of Stagecoach Stop Western Resort that is open, though Poore said they will have an ice cream shop open from noon to 3 p.m. March 1. Poore said they “just got occupancy” for it.

Other ventures Poore said they will offer include a wedding chapel and room for reunions and large gatherings, all with a western theme.

An in-ground pool will also be installed at the lodge for guests to enjoy, she said.

The former ice cream saloon itself is being converted into a bunk house. The pair have already booked that facility for both race weekends and the Faster Horses Festival, Poore added.

Stagecoach Stop Western Resort is one of three businesses in the Irish Hills they are involved with. Noel and Poore purchased the former Golden Nugget Restaurant across the highway in a separate transaction a year ago. That facility is now called the Ol’ Golden Nugget Lodge and Event Center. Poore also manages the Evans Lake Resort, a business Noel owns as well.

Poore said volunteer cleanup efforts by area service groups — such as Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts — are welcomed. She can be reached at 517-759-6276. Updates on the property’s renovations can be found on Facebook by typing “Stagecoach Stop Western Resort” in a keyword search.